The Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report

[ACL1504]

We have a busy day planned.

[Jim Donovan]

Hummm

I am still getting my head wrapped around the writing being mimicked after Lucius Bebee.  Seems more like that of Samuel Clemens. However I suspect Samual will make a guest appearance at some point on this far reaching story of epic proportions.

With all twists and turns in the plot Congress may (or more likely not) require seat belts with shoulder harness on trains. I am buckled up and waiting on the next installment.

Jim D

[Judge]

Saturday Report January 12, 2019

The A&S CEO and the Ticket Agent met and huddled in conference for a time this morning to discuss the progress on installation of marker lights on many of the cabeese (more than one caboose) on A&S property.  Progress is good, although some parts are still on order and causing delays.  One caboose belonging to the SAL was ready for service and it proudly followed up a local freight powered by an SAL Q3 Mike.  The freight made its rounds of the entire system, picking up and setting off boxcars in Tahope but the trip "came up short," forcing a shut down until the trouble could be discovered.

Trespassers were discovered on Railroad property and were identified by RR police as Greg DeMayo, Bob Butts, and Jim Miller.  Demayo entertained us with an engine that wouldn't run and Butts brought a beautifully assembled kit that he declined to donate to the A&S.  Miller, as usual, brought nothing.  The A&S crew and the trespassers turned in pie cards at Smokey Bones for lunch.  All-in-all, another great day in Central Florida where the sky is almost cloudless and the temperature approaches 80 degrees.  For all of you "up Nawth," sorry about that.

There was an incident reported between a passenger and the Sanlando ticket agent.  The incident was investigated and it was determined the complaint was unfounded.  A verbatim report of the incident is as follows:
                                                                                      TRAVELING BY PULLMAN ON THE CITY OF MIAMI

   Now everybody knows the crack passenger train from Miami to Chicago is the City of Miami.  The "City" is sometimes rerouted through Sanlando on the A&S because of labor trouble on the FEC.  On this particular day, a passenger approached the Sanlando ticket agent, who didn't seem at all concerned whether the passenger took the train or stayed home.  The passenger requested a berth on the "City"for the overnight trip to Chicago.
   "For a single passenger," the agent finally asked without enthusiasm?
   "No," the passenger replied.  "I am married, but I am not taking anybody with me.  A single berth will do fine." 
   "Upper or lower," asked the agent?
   "What's the difference, asked the passenger?
    "A difference of 50 cents,"came the answer.  Our prices to Chicago are $2.50 and $3.00.  You understand of course, explained the agent, the lower is higher than the upper.  The higher price is for the lower berth.  If you want a lower, you'll have to go higher.  We sell the upper lower than the lower.  It didn't used to be so, but we found out everybody wanted the lower.  In other words, the higher the fewer. 
   "Why do they all prefer the lower, the passenger asked?
   "On account of its convenience.  Most persons don't like the upper, although it's lower, on account of it being higher and because when you occupy an upper you have to get up to go to bed and then get down when you get up.  I would advise you to take the lower, although it's higher than the upper, for the reason I have stated - that the upper is lower than the lower because it is higher.  You can have the lower if you pay higher, but if you are willing to go higher, it will be lower."
   "What if I want a single compartment," asked the passenger?
   The agent ignored the question and handed the passenger a ticket for a lower.  "Have a nice trip," he said. 




                                                             

[ACL1504]

Yep, it occurred just as described.

The A&S shut down was caused by some upper level electrical issue. The lower level was still up and had higher electrical volts than the higher level which in reality had a lower level of electrical power.

Ya just can't make this stuff up.

Tom

[jerryrbeach]

Ya just can't make this stuff up.

Tom

I've heard that truth is stranger than fiction, but I have my doubts about this one...

[ACL1504]

Ya just can't make this stuff up.

Tom

I've heard that truth is stranger than fiction, but I have my doubts about this one...

Jerry,

Well, maybe "Ya" can't make this stuff up but "We" certainly can.

Tom

[S&S RR]

Great report Judge.  I'm sure glad the A&S has you to cut through all the BS and report the facts. 

[GPdemayo]

Hey Bill....."Who's On First?. 

[jimmillho]

Ya just can't make this stuff up.

Tom

I've heard that truth is stranger than fiction, but I have my doubts about this one...

Jerry,

Well, maybe "Ya" can't make this stuff up but "We" certainly can.

Tom

And "We" did.

[ReadingBob]

Trespassers were discovered on Railroad property and were identified by RR police as Greg DeMayo, Bob Butts, and Jim Miller.

Lucky for us the RR police decided to let us off with just a warning about the dangers of getting too close to the tracks.  He scolded Greg about littering on railroad property.  Must have been related to some prior encounter they had.   

[GPdemayo]

Couldn't have been me.....I wasn't there yesterday.....

[Judge]

  Sorry about the delay of publishing this week's Saturday Report.  I decided to include a couple of photographs with this week's A&S story and it was quite a learning curve for me.
   The A&S management had a long pow-wow to discuss the track plan off of the ovalix on the third level.  The curve the passenger trains will use to back into Union Station will be a radius of about 54" that ought to make backing passenger cars easy.
   The ACL Champion made a run and had a wreck, as is described below.  Fortunately there was no damage to the engine and the Champ made it into Sanlando on time.  An SAL local freight was the source of the problem that caused the wreck but the mainline was clear shortly after the investigation was complete.
    Curt Webb, of Pennsy fame, stopped by and ran a Pensy freight before we all checked out for lunch at Smokey Bones. 
After lunch activities mainly included Tom trying to teach your author how to import photographs into the Forum.  No luck there.  The process is not intuitive.
The following tale is true and I'm sticking to it. 




                                                                                        THE WRECK OF ACL 92


It was a rainy, spring night when SAL local freight 48 ran out of steam south of the Bascule bridge, with the caboose blocking the sidetrack into the Piney Woods Station.




The fireman, George (Crack-a-Diamond) Musselwhite, set to shoveling to bring up steam.  The conductor instructed the colored brakeman to walk about a mile back from the caboose and flag any oncoming traffic, including ACL's Champion, Number 92, which was due within 20 minutes.



The shack did as he was told but the Champ flew by him and collided with the stalled freight train's caboose, causing serious damage to property and personal injury to several passengers.



Naturally, several law suits were filed and the case was set for trial in the local federal court.
During pretrial maneuvers, the President of the A&S asked the conductor to explain what had happened.  The conductor requested a written explanation from the fireman and submitted the fireman's report to the railroad's President.  The report explained the situation poetically:

The wind was high, the steam was low,
The train was heavy and hard to tow,
The coal was wet from rain and dew,
And that's why we blocked Number 92.

   The Plaintiff's lawyer, Larry Lickem, who represented the injured passengers, called Bud Millstone, the head brakeman, to give testimony about the status of the train crew just before the wreck.  Millstone, who had been a railroader for over 40 years, testified as follows:
   The con was flippin' tissue in the crummy's crow's nest, the hind shack was freezing a hot hub, tallow pot was crackin' diamonds in the tank, Eagle Eye was down greasing the pig, and I was bending the rail when 92 hit us."
   Under lengthy cross examination, this testimony was translated to mean, "The conductor was examining the way bills in the cupola of the caboose, the rear brakeman was cooling off a hot journal, the fireman was shoveling coal, the engineer was oiling the running gear on the locomotive, and the head brakeman was throwing a switch when the collision occurred."
   An eye witness to the wreck was standing near the freight station located near where the collision occurred.  Lawyer Lickem asked the witness, "What did you think after you saw the diesel run into the caboose?"  The witness answered, "This is one hell of a way to run a railroad."
   The ACL's lawyer, William Barett Richman, was concerned about the flagman's role in the wreck.  He called the flagman, Willie Jackson, who testified that he followed the conductor's orders to the letter by walking about a mile down the track and swinging his red lantern with all his might when Number 92 approached, but it passed him by without applying brakes.
   The jury found the ACL at fault for the wreck because Number 92 had warning of the obstruction in plenty of time to avoid the tragedy.  After the jury was dismissed, the SAL's lawyer spoke to Jackson outside the courtroom and congratulated him on his clear and convincing testimony.  Jackson replied, "I answered Mr. Richman's questions as truthfully as I could.  But I was really worried he'd ask me if that lantern was lit."
         

[Janbouli]

Great story , you are a wonderful narrator 

[rslaserkits]

great story, love the last line
rich

[MAP]

Priceless!